Liverpool suffer blow in transfer race

Russian side Zenit Saint-Petersburg are set to outbid Liverpool in the race for FC Basel winger Mohamed Salah, according to reports from The Express.

The ‘Egyptian Lionel Messi’ has been rumoured to have been on the verge of a switch to Anfield for some time, with speculation suggesting that a deal was 99% done.

However, despite personal terms with the player said to have been agreed, the Merseysiders are unwilling to match Basel’s valuation of their man.

Liverpool are thought to be push for a deal in the region of £7m, but have been blown out of the water by Zenit who are ready to nearly double that figure.

The Gazprom-backed side are one of European football’s financial giants, and are desperate to snap up the North African ace.

Basel have a history of selling their star assets to the highest bidder, with Aleksandar Dragovic having been shipped out to Dynamo Kiev despite serious interest from Arsenal in the not too distant past.

It remains unclear as to whether or not Salah will be open to a move to Russia, but the St-Petersburg side are likely to offer him an extremely lucrative deal.

The wide-man’s agent has confirmed that Liverpool are interested in the player, but that negotiations with Basel are still being worked on:

“Talks with Liverpool are ongoing. They want him. But they need agreement with Basel.”